Tank car



Nov. 2 2, 1927.

R. WELCKER TANK CAR Filed April 28' 1924 INVENTOR W AM BY ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

, UNITED STATES 1,650,406 PATENT oFF c'E} RUDOLPH WELCKER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0E ONE-FOURTH To FRANKLIN G. NEAn oE SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

7 q TANK CAR.

Application filed April as, 1924. SerialNo. 709,627.

This invention is an improvement in tank car construction. Its general object is to provide an improved means for retaining liquids in tank cars, and for discharging them.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional 'view through a railroad tank car showing in merely skeleton form the wheels of the car, its frame, the tank thereon with its dome, and the preferred relative position to these parts of the improved structure.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section with parts broken away, of the improved structure disclosing its details as it extends upwardly from the bottom of the tank.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view at the outlet point in the bottom of the tank show ing a slight modification.

Fig. 4 is a detail of a slight modificationr The dotted line through Figs. 1 and 2 indicates a normal level of liquid in the tank. According to .my'invention, I locate the outlet valve forthe tank above the normal liquid level. Then by suitable means co-ordinated with the conditions of the valve and tank, I am able to take the liquid through said elevated valve when desired. merous advantages of the structure will ap pear as the description proceeds.

Pipe section 2 is fastened in a bottom opening of the tank. The vertical pipe sec tion 8 has an annular valve part 9 on the bottom and valve part 12 on the top. Part 9 is normally seated in the inlet opening of pipe section 2 on a valve seat. It is not lifted from its seat except under special conditions such as when the tank is being cleaned, as will be described.

The part 12 has a valve seat to receive valve 11 which is fast on the upper end of tube 7. The latter is guided for vertical movement in one or more sleeves 10 Supported by spiders from the inside ofv pipe section 8. The valve is normally held closed by the Spring 13 between thesleeve 9 and a sleeve 14 fastened to the end of pipe 7. To open the valve, the pipe section 4 is elevated when turned for its threads to lift it by their engagement with threads in the packing box 15 in the bottom of pipe section 2, which elevation of pipe section 4 causes it to seat its upper end in the bottom of sleeve 14 and then lift pipe section 7 against Spring The nu- "13. A hose connection 16 fast on the bottom of'pipe 4 has a flange with a hole engageable by a removable handlefi for the turning operation described to lift or lower P pe Aball check valve 18 is in the upper end of pipe 7 and a cap 17 to retain the ball in the pipe is on the end of said pipe. This cap has a suflicient skeleton flange to extend over theopening of pipe 7 as indicated to retain the ball. Another flange at the bottom of the cap 17 supports a spring whose upper end rests against a flange of'the valve part 19. The latter has a central opening communicating with pipe 7 and the opening C which leads to the space A within the tank. The valve part 19' is'a hollow shell like. atfair with a slidable support in a recess of valve 11 .and with a flange overlying the to of valve 11 all as shown;

guided with a tight fit on a depending flange of the casting 27, is provided" with threads to take the sleeve 26, (which sleeve is supported from the sides of the tank) between which and the casting 27 bolts may hold the said cylinder in any adjusted position with its bottom properly spaced from the bottom of the tank. I I

The operation in unloading a tank of oil includes the following Steps, starting'with the parts in the position shown.v The handle 6 is turned to elevate pipe 4 which elevates pipe7 and lifts valve 11. If the outlet 3 is closed (by any means not shown) until valve 19 seats on valve part 20 and then outlet 3 is opened (while pipe 5 is closed), atmospheric pressure will obtain in chamber B, but not in A. If the oil vapor over the liquid in the tank in chamber A is slightly above atmospheric pressure, as is usual in tank cars filled with oil, then the difference in pressure between chambers-A and B will cause. the liquid within the hanging cylinder 24 to rise, fill chamber B and he upper end of this cylinder 24 is the siphon effect. In such case, an air connection is made at 16 (which may be with the air brake line of the car or otherwise). Vfith valve 11 elevated and valve 19 spaced from its seat the air rushes no ni 3e 7 1s directed into-the conduit C, and passes to the chamber A which is the space above the liquid in the tank 1. This action causes a partial vacuum in chamber B (because the rush of air from pipe 7 to conduit C will draw air out of B) and an increased pressure in chamber A." The liquid will quickly rise in chamber B to flow into pipe 8v and the pipe 1 slides through the packing b02115.

It is quickly lifted and lowered by the cam and operating lever 6. Therefore, valve 19 maybe lifted to'its seat quickly enough to avoid. any, substantial release of pressure which may be above the liquidin the tank,

which would occur ifthe actionis slow. A

valve in the upper end of pipe section 7 would then be losed, and itwould not be necessary to'close pipe?) as when the valve 19 is lifted as suggested in connection with the parts shown in Fig. 2.

During any of. theoperations described,

. the workman does not need to open the dome valve is at such times above the liquid.

of-the tank car. These cars are. alwaysprovided :with a safety valve to..prevent too high vapor pressure in the-tank. it is usuallynecessary for the workman to open the. dome of atank car and from it operate a mechanism in the dome (usually a vertical shaft with a connection to a valvein the bottom of the tank) .tocontrol the tank car valve. This opening of the dome before emptying the tank has been the cause of many accidents to workmen. With my improved constructiornthe workman opens the valve above the liquid by a special tool handle 6 and does not need to open the dome although it can be done if necessary for other reasons.

During the transportation period of the liquid in the tank there is no possibility of a leak. through the outlet valve, because such The valve9 at the bottom of the tank is not the outlet valve, it is a clea-nout valve for convenience at the time the tank is cleaned out before it receives its load. The invention of locating the outlet valve above the liquid would be the same if valve 9 were omitted entirely and the .pipe 8 made integral with the pipe fitting 2 or otherwise connected thereto.

applied to pipe 5 under the tankthe contents of the car is safeguarded.

On account of the curvature of tank 1 practically the whole of the liquid can be taken out with the siphon eifect. The hang ing cylinder 24 can be adjusted as close-yto the bottom of a tank .1..as practical or the outlet pipe 2 niayberlocated at the bottom of a depression 28 (Fig. 3) in tank 1 so that the bottom of cylinder 24; is slightly spaced from the bottom of such depression, and thus all the liquid will be drained from the tank except a small amount between the edge of the cylinder 24. and the'bottom of the depres sion.

In addition to the other advantages in locating the outlet valve above the liquid in the tank, there is an advantage with regard to keeping such valve usable. When it is in the bottom of thetank (as in the usual construction) dirt, sticks and even pieces of metal'may be in the liquid to clog the valve and particularly to prevent it closing. When the outlet valve is opened to drain only a part of "the tankin the old constructions, it has frequently been found impossible to close it and the liquid has continued to drain in spite of anythingthat could be done in those old constructions. in this in vent-ion, the siphon effect once started can be stopped by simply closing the valve 11 so as to again let the liquid subside to a loved be" low the valve Furthermore, the foreign articles in the liquid will usually settle with the sediment the bottom ofthe tank and never be carried up the hanging cylinder 2 L to reach the outlet valve. If any unforeseen thing did cause valve 11 to stick either open or closed it is possible to get at it from the top through the dome while the liquid is yet in the tank. The cylinder 24 could be lifted to stop the siphon effect if pipe 8 is, made in tegral or permanently fixed on pipe 2, Then again as shown in Fig. 2 the entire valve mechanism and associated parts for tank car use can be lifted out of the dome, repaired and replaced with great convenieuc Itfrequently happens that when a tank car is all {connected for unloading and the outlet valve is wide open, a switch engine or other railroad car accidentally bumps into or sufliciently jars the unloadingtank car I so that its outlet connection is broken. To avoid the usual result when this happens, I provide a weakened point 30 around the pipe section 2 extending from the bottom of the car. If then this section breaks it will break at inthe plane of the connection between pipe section l and the valve rod orpipe 7. The break will remove pipe 4 from suppor ing position under pipe 7. The, spring 13 will immediately close valve 11. The check valve 18 will prevent any exitthrough pipe Therefore, in time of accidentrthe outlet from the tank is immediately closed and This is quite important for experience has'shown nearly foolproof than the old constructions.

The advantages mentioned are only some of those which can be found in actual use.

lVhat I claim is: l. A tank car for transporting liquids,

"' having a main chamber for its liquid and a much smaller supplementary chamber for obtainlng a difference in pressures above the liquids in such chambers, an outlet pipe tor the tank car with an inlet located above the liquid in said supplementary chamber, a valve for the outlet pipe at the top thereof, communicating means between said chambers above the normal liquid level therein and means operable from without the main chaml ber for closing and opening said communication and simultaneously operating said valve, all constructed and arranged so that liquid in said tank car may flow from the bottom of one chamber to the bottom of the 3 other chamber and be emptied from the top of the supplementary chamber when the pressure therein is 'less than that of the main chamber.

2. A tank car for transporting liquids,

having a main tank for the liquid, a vertically arranged siphon apparatus in the tank provided with a conduit for liquid from the bottom of the tank to a point above the normal liquid level in the tank and another conduit from such point to and through the bottom of the tank, a valve at the top of the last named conduit, said conduits and valve being locatedwholly within the tank except for the outlet through the bottom thereof, means to establish a difference in pressure between the space above the liquid in the tank and the space surrounding the valve in said conduit and means to control said valve operable from Without the tank.

8. A tank car for transporting liquids, having a main tank .for the liquid, an out- .let below the-dome in the bottom of said tank, a pipe in said outlet extending .to' a point above'the normal liquid level in the tank, a valve at the top of said pipe, means to operate said valve from without the tank,

a hood depending over said pipe to a point, close to the bottom of the tank and means operable from'without the tank to establish a lower pressure in the top of said hood than in the space above the liquid in the tank. I

4 A tank car for transporting liquids, having a main tank for the liquid, an outlet below the dome in the bottom of the tank, a pipe in said outlet extending to a point above the normal liquid level in the tank, a valve at the top of said pipe, a hollow vertical valve rod extending downwardly to a point outside the tank, a valve nozzle at the upper end of said rod above the first mentioned valve, a hood and means to suspend it over said pipe and valve with its lower edge'spaced from the bottom of the tank, a central opening provided in the top of said hood in line with said valve nozzle,

said opening communicating with the space above the liquid in the tank outside of said hood. 1

5. A tank car for transporting liquids, having a main tank'and dome, an outlet conduit extending from the bottom of the tank and opening into the dome space above the liquid, a valve for such opening, and apparatus controlled from without the tank to operate said valve and to force the liquid by siphonic effect through said valved opening.

6. A tank car for transporting liquid, having a main tank, an outlet conduit in the tank with its inlet opening above the normal liquid level in the tank, a valve in said opening and apparatus controlled from without the tank to operate said valve and force the liquid up to said opening for discharging operations.

7. A tank car for transporting liquid, an

outlet conduit in the tank, extending through the bottom thereof and with its'opening above the normal liquid level in the tank, means controlled from without the tank to cause the liquid to flow out through said conduit said means having a weakened line of cleavage to render said means inoperative when broken by movement of the car while unloading.

In testimony whereof I have afi'iked my signature. p

' RUDOLPH WELCKER. 

